What Does A Little Truth Matter?
by MoonlessGalaxy
Summary: "Who are those to allow others to suffer? Who are those to call themselves heroes, laughing as those who are screaming in grief are on their knees, begging for some kind of God to bring back their loved ones?"
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: _I do not own Harry Potter or The Avengers._

What Does A Little Truth Matter?

The black cane tapped with familiar regularity upon the cracked concrete. Hand wrapped around the silver head, the man gazed with barely veiled sorrow on the heartrending scene. Bodies of the dead littered the roads, loved ones holding those they had previously laughed, played and lived with close. And though the world had been saved, it seemed to be for nought in the sights of the mass dead.

Had truly none cared enough to close the eyes of those lost? Had they not seen enough horrors already?

The man's mouth twisted in a grim mockery. Of course not. For even children were forced to fight, to kill when no others would step up, not even adults. And no one had a better experience in this than the man himself.

The tapping of the cane stopped as he came to a halt. A restaurant, damaged heavily by the battle yet somehow still working. He stepped through the gaping doorway. There, unaffected by any of the cruel sights beyond the walls, were the very heroes themselves.

"Who are those to allow others to suffer? Who are those to call themselves heroes, laughing as those who are screaming in grief are on their knees, begging for some kind of God to bring back their loved ones?" the barely murmured words caught the attention of the 'Avengers'.

Glancing towards the sorrowful young man, they frowned lightly. He was dressed impeccably in a black suit, the white shirt beneath it open at the collar. Polished black boots tapped impatiently on the floor.

"Look, kid - " the Messenger in his red uniform stood.

"Who are those, who take life as a given? Who are you, to take that very comfort away from others!"

The voice rose to a shout, a heartbreaking grief filling the tone. Where black hair had previously shadowed his eyes, glowing emeralds glared harshly at the Avengers.

"I'm sorry, kid. You must have lost someone - "

"Who are you!" The man shouted, cane outstretched towards the supposed idols as if it were a sword, "You who deny your actions!"

"What actions?" the quiet voice of the one-who-hides asked, rising to his feet slowly.

"I know you, hidden one," his mouth contorted into a deranged smirk, "I know you. The suffering - I know it. You think you hold a flame to the greatest curse in existence? Think again!"

"You don't know what I've been through - "

"I don't know? I, a glorified puppet, doesn't know? I have more experience in one second than you do in your whole lifetime, mortal!"

"You words are of no human," the Mad-Warrior stood up.

A strangled laugh choked the man.

"How, when one is put through suffering greater than you know, can they be called mortal?"

A ring flashed on the man's hand, drawing the Little-Spider's attention. A black stone, embedded into a gold band rested on the man's finger. It seemed to be no ostentatious flaunting of wealth, yet an expensive piece none the less. But the Little-Spider, he noticed, looked more confused about the design - for truly, it didn't look like any of Earth.

With three of six people standing, along with their 'prisoner' encaged by a metal girder, the group seemed concerned about the man with the cane.

"He's insane," Little-Spider whispered.

"Insane?" the man spun to face her solely, "Oh no. I'm just as sane as you are. Or should I say, you're just as sane... as I am."

He smiled slightly at his last words, a deep pain in his jaded eyes. Little-Spider joined Hidden-one, Messenger and Mad Warrior on their feet.

"What did you mean when you said we took life away from others?" Hidden-One spoke once again.

The brains of the group, the man mused, filled with wisdom instead of just intelligence like Messenger. And the realisation struck upon the man with the cane.

"Moony," he breathed, shock evident in his gaze.

To his ever thankful luck, it wasn't heard by the group before him.

"Look, we've asked more than enough times," Messenger intercepted his thoughts strongly, "Who are you and why are you here?"

"Who am I?" he murmured, "That's the question, isn't it? But then again, who are we to answer questions when we don't know the answers ourselves?"

"What do you - Oh for God's sake, what's your name?"

"God won't be pleased you used his name. But my name? You can call me Hadrian. Hadrian Peverell."

"Why are you here?" Peace-Forcer also stood, hand on shield.

The only ones not standing were Wingless-Bird and Broken-One.

"You. I am here, because of you."

The anger previously simmering once again returned to the surface as Hadrian remembered the actions of these humans - or not-so-humans. His hand curled around the cane head tighter, squeezing the silver raven.

"What have we done? If you didn't know, we just saved the world," Messenger waved a hand around as if to brag.

A resentful laugh escaped, "Saved it? You have no idea what you've done. You have no idea."

"What on Earth do you mean?"

"Go on," the bitterness ensconced his tone again as he waved towards the doorway, "Take a look at what your 'saving' has really done."

One by one, Little-Spider leading the way, all six vindicators file out of the broken restaurant. Hadrian glanced at the plates left on the table, disgusted at the sight of shawarma. His gaze quickly left the food to alight upon the prisoner. He was unconscious, presumably dealt with by the Hidden-One or Mad-Warrior. Oh, how Hadrian wished the man didn't live up to his name; not the given one, no, but the one hidden from others.

"It is a pitiful sight," he murmured as he turned away from the table, "to see a name such as his so humiliated."

He walked towards the frozen group standing just beyond the doorway. Passing them, he outstretched his arms, cane waving around.

"Are you happy now?" he snarled, "Are you happy with the destruction, the lives lost, because you thought that would save the world? It is time for people to stop seeing the masses and to focus on the few as well!"

"It was for - "

"The greater good," his mocking tone caused Messenger - who seemed to be the self-professed leader of the group - to flinch.

For the first time, the consequences of the battle struck the Avengers. Hadrian but wished it didn't have to be in this way. The people used as an example didn't deserve it.

"We caused this?" Hidden-One uttered in shock.

Hadrian knew he was talking about the dead bodies; of course he was. But the Avengers still had another lesson to learn. One telling them that wounds weren't always on the outside.

"This and much more," his laugh was harsher than he meant.

"What else did we do?" Wingless-Bird asked.

"Look on the inside. Focus on something apart from your damn selves, just for once! See the grief, the mourning and sorrow these people are feeling as they hold the dead bodies of their loved ones. Think about your consequences, Avengers, and stop forcing others to do it for you."

With those final words, Hadrian knew his work to be complete. Though the names of many had changed, though their hope and happiness had been drained from their names, they would heal. He could only hope they would. Hadrian nodded briefly at the assemblage before spinning on his heel. His work was done.

"Wait!" Messenger cried out.

He halted in his steps, waiting for the man to complete his sentences.

"Why?"

A small smile graced his lips.

"Why what?"

"Why did you do this? Why do you call us those names? Why are you leaving?"

"I did this for the broken names crowding the streets. And I call you those names because they are who you are. But why am I leaving? Because my work is done."

He continued along the broken street, cane tapping along the ground. As he passed the grieving people, they turned their heads away from their loved ones to stare at the passing man. The glazed eyes masking their tears seemed to fade ever so slightly and for once, since The Incident - it was bearable.

He didn't tell the group of their soul names, of the ones hailing directly from their being. He didn't tell them about his status, or his reason for acting as he did. Or rather, he did tell them; just not the truth. After all, what does a little truth matter in the long shot?


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: _I do not own Harry Potter or the Avengers._

Chapter Two

 _Name: Peverell, Hadrian_

 _D.O.B: Unknown_

 _Document Citizenship: Unknown, presumed Britain_

 _Gender: Male_

 _General Description: Young male, green eyes, shoulder-length black hair, pale skin, height estimated to be 5'9", lithe build._

 _Identifiable Markings: Black cane with a silver raven head._

 _Family: Unknown_

 _Languages: English, more unknown._

 _Current Employment: Unknown_

 _Alias: Unknown_

The single sheet, tucked into the thin file, was passed around from person to person. The lack of information on it caused both frowns and hints of smiles.

"And we need to look at this why?" Tony's voice is tinged with disdain.

"This man is an unknown. He is, therefore, a threat to our country, and where there is a threat, you must be there to combat it," Fury slapped his hands down on the table.

"His name is Hadrian Peverell. pretty sure that makes him known," Tony muttered, "And in any case, we're only here to be the big guns. Not to destroy any small threat. I'm pretty sure you have an army to do that for you."

( _He stalked up the darkened corridor, eyes drawn harshly into a glare. It was the second time he had to intervene with the mortals, in no less than a month! Hadrian wasn't sure what would come first; the entire mass destruction of every single mortal on Earth, or the death of Mother Nature herself. And he so sincerely hoped it would not be the latter. His anger slowly built at the thought; Mother Nature, harmed by the ridiculous acts of mortals. Why did they not see the war-ridden countries, see the dust and the loss of life in the ground and for once, just think - What are we doing? Could they not see that Mother Nature was giving up, that she didn't want to keep healing?_ )

"This man has appeared out of nowhere, Stark!" Fury growled, "There are no past records of him, no mentions of his name, not even a mention of him in a high school! We know nothing about him."

"You think I don't know this? You think I haven't searched for him as well? I found nothing! But he damn helped us get our heads out of our arses. And for once, Fury, I've found that I'm currently lacking in giving any shits about what you think!"

( _And just as he had told the Avengers in their last meeting, did they never think of anyone else?_ )

"I need information. Since you are the only people who've come into contact with him, you'll have to be the ones who give me it. I'm not playing, Stark. This could be war."

Tony stood up abruptly leaning over towards the Director. He glared into the man's eyes, a hint of ferality in his posture.

"Hadrian brought us back to Earth. I will not give you a single morsel of information about him, Director. Not while I still breathe."

( _His magic rose at the building anger, a swirling maelstrom matching his eyes. His skin tingled with the furious magic, ready to unleash it upon the next mortal he saw. He could feel the shivers of the sorrowful power running through his body, wanting to be free, to exact revenge upon those who called themselves humans. Yet how could they name themselves such, when the very word humane, supposed to be derived from them, was the exact opposite of their nature? His magic exploded at the thought, pushing past his barrier. The air heavy with power, the sturdy metal doors at the end of the corridor buckled and bent with his presence. He strode through the broken doorway, coming face to face with the very people he was demanding to see._ )

"Who _are_ you, Peverell?" One-Eye stood with a snarl, arms planted on the table in an attempt of intimidation. When would people learn that after several hundreds of thousands of years, he'd seen far more intimidating creatures (and most often, defeated them)?

Gathered around the table were the very people he had had to have a talking to last time he meddled with mortal affairs. However, different to the previous time, the air was charged with tension between the two standing man. A battle of the wills, reminding Hadrian of a legilimency battle, had clearly been taking place just as he had approached. Both men were breathing hard, chests expanding rapidly for air.

"I said, and I will repeat, who are you?"

"I'm the person who's had to interfere to save the future of your world," he stood squarely in front of the door, staff clutched in both hands in front of him.

"I don't know who you truly are or why you're here," One-Eye continued strongly with ignorance to Hadrian's explanation, "But I will not hesitate to unleash the fury of SHIELD upon you."

"You can try your best, mortal, but nothing you can do will harm me," a bitter laugh slipped from Hadrian's lips.

Mad-Warrior rose to his feet, hand clenched in a fist over his heart, "Well met."

"Well met, Mad-Warrior," the resulting laugh was no longer bitter, but one of surprise, "I did not expect for you to listen to more than your heart so soon."

"My brother spoke to me. Though I wonder on how you gained your... position."

"Are you trying to tell me that you went against my direct orders and spoke with that mad man?" One-Eye demanded knowledge.

"You will learn in time, One-Eye, that not everything revolves under the rule of a blind man," Hadrian eyed the man.

A quick flicker of his eyes confirmed that the rest of Mad-Warrior's allies were sat at the table still (apart from Messenger), some focusing on the furniture with a vengeance. No doubt unwilling to meet his eyes.

"I do apologise for my harshness in our last meeting, but it was required," Hadrian sighed, "As a reply to your question, Mad-Warrior, I accepted death as inevitable."

A slight quirk of his lips supplied the humour to the joke.

"And yet, as my brother told me as well, you still bear the heavy burden as if it were as light as a feather."

"If I bear this burden as a feather, Mad-Warrior, then it is a feather heavy enough to bring down worlds."

The sorrow laid itself heavy in the jaded green orbs. The understanding shared between the two men was blatant in their eyes, mourning gazes directed to each other. And yet it was with a sigh that Hadrian broke the bond between them.

"One-Eye."

"What are you," One-Eye hissed.

"I am one who wishes for peace and always has, yet will never be granted it."

Hadrian stared at One-Eye, the unwavering gaze unsettling the man. What had just seemed soft and sorrowful now became unrelenting and furious. Messenger and his allies glanced at Hadrian in surprise, shocked at the sudden change in the man.

"And one of those reasons why I've never been allowed peace is men like you! You who use people as tools, mere playthings to win wars for you! I know what you want from these heroes. I know exactly what you want. And I see it, One-Eye. I see it and your weak attempts to drag me under the same net you have them under!"

One-Eye glared at Hadrian, "War rules this world, and we need heroes to fight it -"

"You don't want heroes," the dark and bitter humour laced his voice, "because heroes can think for themselves."

One-Eye fell silent. Hadrian closed his eyes momentarily, pushing back the rushing memories. It was not the time to remember. Not when the heroes before him didn't understand. Hadrian briefly distracted himself from the outside world, hands clenching once more upon his cane. It truly was the only thing left that linked him to Earth, to his home.

"Hadrian - "

His eyes snapped open, focusing his unsettling gaze upon the man before him. There stood Messenger, brow furrowed in concern. And though Hadrian wished it wasn't, he could see the emotion in the man's eyes. It seemed the heroes were starting to _care_.

But caring for the wrong person was an entirely different thing.

"I am fine, Messenger."

But he wasn't, not truly. Not when the very memories assaulting him were starting to break down his walls, and he was breaking, crumbling and oh god he couldn't stop the barriers from shattering -

"Hadrian!"

But this time the word didn't jerk Hadrian from his memories.

 _\- he was sinking, falling into the sea and no one was there to catch him, not this time, no one was there -_

Hands clutched his shoulders, shaking him to draw him back into reality.

 _\- the touch burned, the fire was licking up his sides and he was burning, hurting, consumed in the flames everywhere around him -_

 _\- FIRE._

A sharp breath rattled his chest, torso shooting upright in the bed. He was restrained at the wrists, chains digging into them. His eyes snapped open and stared unseeingly in front of him. Hadrian writhed at the constraints, magic rising to his skin and lashing along the restraints. The magic lapped at the wounds on his wrists of where the manacles had dug into his contorting form. Hadrian flung his head back, an unearthly scream ripping from his being. His pitch-black hair whipped in the air, eyes glowing eerily green with _power_.

With a sharp crack, the metal constraints fell limply onto the bed. And as if he had never been there, the bed lay unoccupied. The only remnants of his brief stay were the loose shackles.

.-.

"Sir!" a young official burst into the debriefing room, "He's gone!"

"How long?" Fury demanded.

Tony clenched his hands into fists, glaring at the table silently.

"A few minutes at most, Director. The feed was being watched but it short-circuited."

"And?"

"Well, we sent a man down to check it out," a slight stammer rose in the man's voice, "B-but he, um, he wasn't there. Almost as if he vanished into thin air, Sir."

Tony stood up, jaw uncomfortably tight.

"Tony, don't - " Bruce reached a hand out to warn him.

He ignored the other genius, striding out of the room. Passing corridors, he emerged from the Helicarrier. A glint in the distance alerted him of his suits arrival. It covered him like a second skin, powering him as he launched off the Helicarrier.

"Jarvis, track the signal."

"Yes, sir."

Within seconds, a map visualised in front of his eyes, leading him towards the tracker he placed on the strange young man before the officials snuck him away. The very young man that had the oddest, most powerful presence he had yet to feel.

.-.

Hadrian forced his eyes open and started to pick himself up, groaning as his body protested violently. He hoisted himself up onto his feet, only to collapse to the ground as his ankle gave way. He screamed through gritted teeth at the pain. Gasping slightly as he unclenched his jaw, he massaged his ankle lightly.

"Well isn't that shitty," he cursed.

He sent pulses of his magic along his skin, healing the injury in seconds. Only... it didn't heal. His magic didn't come out. Only the lightest of beats stuttered along his skin.

"How?" he muttered in shock.

The memories rushed back towards him, passing the weakened barrier. He remembered manhandling, metal biting into his skin, a sharp prick right on his neck, the feeling of numbness and sudden air under his feet.

Numbness?

He raised a hand to his neck, growling as he came away with blood on his fingers.

"The bastards!" he cried out.

He tried, again and again, to pull the magic out of himself but as soon as it reached the air, it seemed to fizzle out. There was a dullness where his core was meant to be, a grey area which he wanted to rip away from the shining core he was meant to have. He didn't try to stop the scream, not focusing on the echoes rebounding off the trees.

Trees?

He was in a forest. The feeling of air under his feet, of liberty from the chains - he'd apparated, blindly and without a wand. Glancing around wildly, he searched for the one object that truly mattered to him. When he couldn't spot it, he crumbled in on himself with a grieving cry. His last link to his friends, his world, his family - gone.

"Hadrian?" a soft voice intruded on his mourning.

He spun his face towards the intruder, tears not dulling the harshness of his glare. At the sight of Messenger, he turned back to face forwards, a single tear rolling down his face. He ignored the man until an unforgiving pain buffeted his senses. A slight whimper betrayed the pain of the contact of his clothes against his wounds.

"Oh, Hadrian," Messenger murmured sadly.

The man approached, clear through the crunching of leaves underfoot. Hadrian tensed as a hand brushed against him, hissing as it scraped one of his injuries. The hand withdrew, only for arms to wrap around him carefully. He stiffened in fear, eyes wide. The warmth of the... hug, his mind supplied, confused him. Against his will, he started to relax slightly and melt into the welcome heat.

"Here, let me help you."

"I, I don't need your help, Messenger," Hadrian steeled his words and his body, pushing the man away from him.

"You clearly do. You obviously have injuries, and if you're not going to tend to them, I will!"

Hadrian gritted his teeth and pushed himself standing once more. That time, however, he wavered slightly but stayed upright. It was a victory in his mind. He raised his hand to grip his staff - only to remember that it wasn't there. He ducked his head to blink away the scalding tears, berating himself for showing emotion.

 _People don't like it when freaks cry._

"That's it. You're coming with me."

Wild eyes focused on Messenger, glancing around for a way to bypass the approaching man. Messenger hesitated slightly at the hint of fear in Hadrians eyes.

"Hadrian, it's me? Tony? Um, Messenger?" his voice was softer than believable.

Hadrian blinked furiously, pulling away from the memories once more. His occlumency shields were always up, always! No matter what. It was too dangerous, too risky for them to be down. There was always a chance he would just... never come back. That he'd lay on the ground, shivering as he wouldn't stop remembering for - forever.

"Apologies," coldness seeped into his voice, "I will endeavour to not require help."

No magic, no occlumency shields. Which meant memories. He didn't like memories. But why did he have no magic? The only logical response was the numbness.

"What did SHIELD do to me?" he demanded of Messenger.

"What?"

"When they took me, what did they do to me? What did they do to me, tell me!"

Tony took a step back, "You wouldn't respond, yeah? I tried to snap you out of it. Fury couldn't just leave you alone. He ordered his men to - to arrest you. On what accounts, I don't know. I couldn't stop them, not with my team holding me back. I only just managed to get a tracker onto you. Jarvis followed you through the CCTV to the container designed for Bruce, and said you were injected with a serum."

What did they inject him with? A serum, designed to numb magic; or for a different use, but with an alternative outcome. Whatever the wish, it had a more serious outcome. With little to no access to his magic, he was unable to heal himself, to apparate away, or to fight.

Hadrian's hands twitched, wishing so dearly for his cane. It was moments like this where he regretted following the idea of Lucius Malfoy and leaving his wand in his cane.

"Hadrian - you can stay at mine. Please. Let me pay you back."

"For what?"

"For opening my eyes."

Hadrian bowed his head, "It seems as if I have no other option."

"Excellent!" Tony clapped his hands, "Now, as to getting you back to the tower - Hadrian!"

Tony rushed to the fallen man, regardless of the leaves under his feet or the noise he was making. Pressing two fingers to his jugular, he sighed in relief as a faint pulse fluttered against them. He hadn't believed Hadrian's wounds to be so bad; he hadn't acted as if they were grave. But Tony didn't know the man who had opened his eyes - how was he supposed to know of the seriousness of his injuries?

"Don't you dare die on me," he muttered, "Not while I still owe you, Hadrian."

* * *

Wow! And I mean, wow! The support from you guys is amazing. I was only going to have this as a one-shot (as I do with pretty much all my other stories) but the encouragement from you lot made me think 'why not'. Which probably isn't a good idea with four other active stories. OOPS.

Sorry if there is any confusion about the names or the format - the names change depending on who's view it is. For the format, if it's in italics, it's always about Hadrian. Oh, and tell me if you want the reasons behind the names ;)

Thanks,

MG


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: _I do not own Harry Potter or The Avengers._

Chapter Three

His eyes fluttered open, breathing that was still deep from sleep harshening at the unknown surroundings. His eyes shot around the room, scanning for another being. When he could detect no other person apart from him, he let his beating heart relax from its fast pace.

Clean walls, a dull light source above him, one single door. No windows. To be expected?

He frowned, clutching lightly at his head, trying to remember the events of the previous however long. He couldn't hazard a single guess at how long he'd been out of it.

"Hadrian? Are you alright? You haven't got a headache, have you?" a worried voice preceded the opening of the door.

"Why am I here?" Hadrian muttered, pushing himself off the bed.

"Hey, hey - you're on bed rest for the foreseeable future. You don't remember what happened?"

"Obviously not, Messenger."

"You were taken by SHIELD. Somehow, though no one has any idea how, you vanished from thin air - thin air, Hadrian! I tracked you and brought you back here when you collapsed in the middle of a damn forest."

"Where is here?"

"Here is my tower. The giant building in the middle of New York, yeah?" he wiggled his eyebrows.

Hadrian opted to remain silent, brow creasing into a frown.

"About that headache -"

"I do _not_ have a headache, Messenger."

"Hadrian, no matter what you say you're not leaving this bed. Seriously, Hadrian!"

"Stop calling me that damned name," he growled.

"Well, what do I call you then?" Messenger challenged him.

"You won't have to call me anything because I'll be leaving now."

Messenger advanced towards him, "You will not be leaving until I say you can."

"What is it with you humans?" he tore into the man, "Always trying to contain me, to use me, to chain me down! Will you never learn? I will not be your plaything! I am greater than any of you mortals, ignorant Midgardians!"

"Hadrian..."

"Leave me be," he snarled, "I have had enough of people trying to control me."

"I'm not - "

"Leave!"

Hadrian sat on his breath, chest heaving with every breath. A contorted grimace on his face, he released a frustrated scream. He was sick of it, up to his neck in subtle, tricking plans! And no silent looks of hurt or betrayal would change a damn thing about it.

The click of the door closing brought him out of his thoughts. Messenger had left. _About time he got the hint_ , Hadrian thought bitterly. Glancing up, he caught the metallic glint shining into his eyes. So _that_ was why Messenger thought he had a headache. They were spying on him! probably reporting back to SHIELD as well.

"When I leave this place, you will be getting the first of my revenge, One-Eye. And I'm warning you, it will _not_ be pretty."

* * *

Tony stared at the young man before him in shock. Hadrian spoke as if he had years of experience with being 'controlled', as he put it. Yet he couldn't be more than eighteen...

Two choice words rang through his mind, screaming in their blatancy.

'Mortal'.

'Human'.

Surely not? Could this kid, the one talking about such deep topics, truly be immortal? Non-human? And as much as he wished to dismiss it, the eyes of the kid were evidence enough. Whilst the emeralds seemingly embedded into his face were eye-catching at the least, it was the depth within them that tugged on Tony's heartstrings. No kid (whether he was or wasn't one) should have had to deal with that much grief, that level of pain within himself.

"Tony? Is that you?"

"Hey Pepper," he sighed.

"What's wrong with you? Did you blow the lab up yet again?"

He chuckled slightly, "I wish I had. No, I brought someone to stay here. His name is Hadrian."

"Isn't that the person you were talking about, the teen who talked to you after the big battle?"

"Yeah," he sighed once more, "He's been here a few days now."

"What? How did I not notice him?" Pepper asked, shocked.

"He's been in a spare room. Hadrian just woke up, and... well, he wasn't happy."

"Please don't tell me you kidnapped him, Tony."

"Hey!" he protested, "I did no such thing! I mean, he might have been under pressured circumstances when he agreed but still - "

"I'm going to go see him."

"Pepper, that's not a good idea. Seriously."

"What did you do this time?" she groaned.

He fiddled with the edge of his shirt sleeve, "I had Jarvis monitoring him. He woke up, so I went to go see him. I thought he had a headache because he was clutching his head, but he said he didn't. I was worried, so I said he wouldn't be leaving the bed. He... he talked to me, about what people had done to him. I - he looks so young, to be talking about those things," his voice reduced to a murmur, "He said words I couldn't comprehend a kid saying."

"Like?"

"Human. Mortal. Midgardian. And I swear, he _can't_ be more than eighteen! It's not possible!"

"Thor is possibly over a thousand years old, Tony. He doesn't look over thirty either."

Tony shuddered lightly. He backed up, reaching a couch and falling solidly onto it.

"Thor mentioned something. Something about a position, and how heavy the burden is on that position. But they never told me what the position was," Tony wracked his memory, "What could be so serious that a kid had to deal with it?"

* * *

He raised his hand, pointing a single accusing finger towards the camera. He glared as a low-level shock of lightning leapt from his finger to the electronic, frying the circuits instantly. Hadrian stood up and dusted himself off absent-mindedly. It was about time he caught up with an old _friend_ of his.

"Death," he commanded.

"Master, you called."

A lithe figure, towering a foot over Hadrian, smirked predatorily at the young looking man. He was uncomfortably close to Hadrian, yet he didn't back down.

"Do feel free to inform me of the recent events," Hadrian rose a single eyebrow.

"And I thought this was just a social call," the silky voice purred.

"Stop playing around, Death."

"Of course, Master," the being let out a long-suffering sigh, "You've been out for around four days. SHIELD, as you've been told multiple times, captured you when you suffered a relapse into your memories. However, you were correct in thinking you had been injected with a substance. One designed for any superhero, however. It was meant to dull your senses, however it had not been tested on a magic user before.

"In effect, the liquid dulled your connection to magic. Only through intense panic and anger were you able to break the effects. Of course, without a wand, you drained your reserves slightly. This combined with the remnants of the injection took a far greater toll on you than anyone could imagine. In the future, Master, I would recommend _not_ getting injected, yes?"

Hadrian glared at Death.

"I trust you have retrieved my possessions?"

"Of course."

A bundle of silvery material was placed in his outstretched hands. Delving into the material, Hadrian fished out both a slender white wand and a solid gold ring. Slipping one up his sleeve and the other on his finger, he sighed in near-contentment.

"Death, where is my cane? Where is it?"

His eyes blazed, piercing the figure.

"Where is it? Answer me!"

"Master..."

"Where is it?" he screamed.

"I am sorry, Master."

Hadrian stared at Death in shock, his hands shaking. He had thought it merely missing, even in those woods he had not anticipated the utter destruction of it.

"No," he muttered, "No, no, no, no, no! This cannot be happening!"

He sank to his knees as they gave way from under him. The slight touch of a hand on his arm sent shudders running through him. For the second time in a week, arms wrapped around his form as he lost himself to grief.

An elegant hand ran up and down his back, the soothing caress comforting him. He buried his head in the other man's chest.

"Master, now is not the time," an urgent note entered his companion's voice, "Messenger and Hera are approaching, Master. I must leave before I am spotted."

"Thank you, Death."

"Anytime, Master."

Hadrian pulled himself together in the now empty room. No matter what, he would not let strangers see him without his composure more than necessary. Though he couldn't hide his red eyes or the silent tremors running down his spine, he would pull as much dignity together as remotely possible.

Pushing himself up, he turned to face the door in preparation for his visitors. The light click of the handle turning confirmed Death's sentence.

"Hadrian, can I come in?" a woman, Hera, called.

Hadrian chose to remain silent, leaning lightly against the wall opposite the door. Nevertheless, the door was pushed open as Hera slipped into the room.

"Hello, Hadrian. My name's - "

"Hera," he interrupted her, "Your name is Hera."

She looked at him strangely, "Sorry, but that's not my name. You can call me Pepper."

A voice piped up from outside the door, causing coldness to enter Hadrian's gaze, "Ah, Pepper, I knew I forgot to say something. he has a slightly odd version of naming people."

"But - "

"Just roll with it, Pepper," Messenger slunk into the room, avoiding Hadrian's gaze, "I'm sorry about earlier, Hadrian. Wait - have you been crying?"

He disregarded the man completely, narrowing his eyes on Hera. She suited her soul's name, a light tinge of vengeance sown throughout her soul. It intrigued him as to why she would have such within her, within such an interesting soul.

"Why are you here," his voice cut through the tension.

"We want to help you."

"That's what everybody says," he muttered, half-turning from the pair. Within his clutch still lay the cloak and the bleached white wand.

"Hold on a sec, where the hell did you get those from?"

"Tony, you are not helping!" Pepper snapped.

"Pepper, he didn't have them earlier and I'm just curious - "

"What I have and what I don't is none of your business," Hadrian stated coldly, swinging the cloak onto his shoulders.

"Where are you going?" Messenger's eyes darted around nervously.

 _Nervously?_

"Kid, you need your rest!"

Glaring daggers into the human, Hadrian gripped the wand tightly. Oh, how he wished to curse the man. Yet as inept as he was, Messenger was still trying to help. Perhaps he deserved an explanation, even if it was a short one.

"I have... business I need to take care of."

Messenger's hand reached out before he let it fall with a sigh.

"Well after it's done, you'll always be welcome here, kid."

Hadrian gritted his teeth at the last word, dearly wishing to snap at the an ' _I'm older than you could ever imagine, youngling!_ '. And it was true. He had lost count of how much time had passed since his world had died - certainly, more than one sane or not-so-much sane man should have to cope with. But he had always had Death to thank for that. He shook himself from his thoughts and tilted forwards to bow to his gracious hosts.

"Whether I willingly show it or not, I am grateful you took me in," he sighed, "I give you my thanks, Messenger. While I would _delight_ in more of your company, I have some business I must tend to."

And with a final swirl of his cloak, he let his smirk show through slightly. Bringing his magic to play, he turned a half step and - _disappeared_.

"What - But that - It's not possible!" Tony spluttered.

Pepper rolled her eyes at him as he ranted about the impossibilities of vanishing from thin air. _That was certainly an interesting meeting_ , she thought.

* * *

A full-blown smirk surfaced on Hadrian's face, strands of his hair hanging in front of his eyes. He couldn't help the chuckle bursting forth, nor the magic pulsing through him. The glowing of his eyes was a welcome side-effect of the last one though.

At least he had a perfectly good reason to be seen as slightly insane. After all, no one would get away with drugging him, stranding him from contact with his magic and chaining him down like a rabid beast. There was hell to pay and he was going to make sure that he'd be the one to deal it out. His giggle evolving into a cackle, he advanced down the harshly lit corridors. There was a gaping hole where the presence of his cane should have been and it only added more salt to his injury.

Reminiscent of his last visit here, he flung his head up to the skies and kicked the door in front of him off of its hinges. It fell to the floor as the crash resounded through the room. And indeed, it was almost a mirror image of his previous escapade. Sat around a table in the middle of the room were the Avengers (minus Messenger, of course). One-Eye had his hands planted on the table, leaning forward with a hint of intimidation. However, it wasn't enough to threaten Hadrian and it seemed it wasn't enough to frighten the Avengers either, from the looks of several unimpressed faces.

"One-Eye."

His voice was a frightening rumble. It filled the minds of the heroes before him, a tugging call for petrifying fear from his victims. Hadrian could see the Avengers wishing to call out to him, to ask him questions - but to care? He didn't know. Yet it seemed they knew he meant business this time.

"You," One-Eye blanched as he spun around, "You! You're a criminal of the law, and - "

"You think your puny laws matter to me?" Hadrian's laugh echoed cruelly.

"Why are you here," One-Eye lived up to his surname as he trembled with rage.

Hadrian's laughter cut off immediately, "What, you thought I wouldn't come back? You thought I would let you chain me down, drug me and destroy an object that you have no idea the significance of?" his voice rose to a roar, "You have no clue what you've forced me to go through!"

"I have no clue? Don't you understand what you did? You managed to short circuit all of the electronics in your vicinity with your disappearing act!"

"Act? No, no, no. An act insinuates that I'm playing around," he prowled towards One-Eye, cloak shifting with his movements, "I'm serious. Deadly serious."

Fury shifted backwards as the being shortened the distance between them. The normally emotionless man felt a flicker of fear twitch through him.

"It's people like you I really hate. You individuals, you suffer. And you know why? Because you want to control others - but you can barely control yourselves."

The room was silent. A feather could have dropped and made more noise in its collision than there was in that room. No one was willing to talk, One-Eye desperately searching for words to counter Hadrian's.

"You're mad," he rasped.

"That's what they all say," Hadrian drawled. And he _oh so wished_ to have his cane back, if only for visual effect. It wasn't his fault that when he leant on his cane he looked like a madman, crazy eyes and slumped posture included.

One-Eye spluttered, eyes darting between the gathered heroes and Hadrian. A slight shrug from Little-Spider crushed his efforts.

"I'm not going to take any shit from you," One-Eye finally spluttered.

Hadrian snorted at the ridiculous sentence, a silent snigger sending shudders through his body.

"You destroyed my cane. I think I take more shit than you do," he tilted his head pointedly.

"I never did such a thing," Fury spat.

Hadrian's anger rose to the surface once again, the blatant disregard of any care enraging him. His last tie to his world, the last memory of his first century - gone. Blown to pieces, burnt to ashes, shattered into shards. He didn't know the method, no, but he knew one thing for certain; the bastards had destroyed his last real possession, the only thing that had ever mattered, and they were denying it!

"You dare," he rasped, "You dare deny your actions?"

"There are no actions to deny," One-Eye stated defiantly.

"You have no idea," his eyes widened, glowing orbs piercing into One-Eye, "You have no idea! That staff was the only remainder of my family and friends, and you fucking destroyed it!"

One-Eye gazed at Hadrian, shocked at the waves of force coming from the young man. He sounded so _old_ , so _ancient_. Too old, too wise for a man barely out of pubescence.

Hadrian glared at the man, magic pulsing through his veins. How he wished to raise his wand, to think that one word and watch the red curse shoot straight into his heart. How he wished to hear him _scream_. The man needed to pay. But the curse was, as the name suggested, cursed. The last time he had touched his wand to say those words, it had been the death of a loved on that spurred him on.

"Know this, One-Eye. I will never be your puppet, nor your weapon or pawn. And mark my words: if you try to bring me under your control, I will personally make sure you regret it."

* * *

Sorry? I know it's been a long time since I published and put out the second chapter (a month exactly) but... yeah, I don't really have an excuse.

Anyway, I asked last time and a few of you said that you did indeed want the meanings behind the names. So here they are in all their glory:

Tony ~ Messenger: 'None loves the messenger who brings bad news', referencing Tony's thoughts on how he is unloved and out of place in the world.

Fury ~ One-Eye: references not only his single eye but also the blindness entailed pertaining to his actions.

Thor ~ Mad-Warrior: references Thor's weakness (Warrior Madness).

Natasha ~ Little-Spider: not only her name but her ability to be as quiet and unnoticed as a small spider.

Bruce ~ Hidden-One: He tries to hide the other half of him behind an unassuming mask.

Steve ~ Peace-Forcer: Yeah. Kinda clear? Capsicle is the very righteous one of the group.

Clint ~ Wingless-Bird: A play on the name 'Hawkeye', showing that while he might be known as a hawk, he will never have the wings needed for freedom.

Loki ~ Broken-One: his mind and essentially his body, were broken by Thanos, henceforth his name.

Pepper ~ Hera: not only a codename for her but the goddess herself is known for vengeance, something that I believe suits pepper very well.

Few things:

Do you guys want a pairing? If anyone does then tell me who you want me to pair Hadrian with and I'll put a poll up with the names.

Do any of you have a specific direction you want the story to take? PM me your suggestions or leave a review. I'd love to hear them!

Hadrian's name? Do you want me to keep calling him Hadrian or call him Harry? Or both? Let me know.

Sorry for the long AN, I'll get going now :)

Thanks to everyone for the support.

MG


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